Flowers in The Garden
by Baka Deshis
Summary: She was the queen of gypsys, he was the young lord about to marry. Can their love survive against all the rules? AU DracoHermione
1. Part I

**Flowers in The Garden **

**PART I**

**By Tasha (BD2)**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me:** Yes, I own Harry Potter, ohohohoho…

**Lawyers: **A-hem.

**Me: **Okay, I don't own it, but I still have the plot!

**Lawyers:** A-hem!

**Me: **What? That's it!

**Lawyers:** I'm sorry, we were just practicing for the next case.

**Me: **(sweat drop)

(**A/N:** Yay, new fic! Set in 1810, England. It's going to be a three-shot, I think. And in no one's point of view. Because stories in the first person ruin all the fun.)

Meh, just kidding. P

* * *

"Oh, Draco, everything will be perfect!" Pansy exclaimed. 

The Malfoy's and the Parkinson's sat in the room near the dining room, where the men had just finished with their brandy and cigars, and the women with their coffee. The only son of the Malfoy's, Lord Draco Malfoy, was becoming of age, the age to marry.

Two months before his seventeenth birthday, his mother and father had forced him to go to a place called Almack's, where he was supposed to find a young lady to become his bride.

It was horrifying for the young Malfoy. It was any man's dream to have so many ladies that has just been pushed into the socializing scene, swooning over him, and gushing about his bluish-grey eyes and pale blond hair.

He had to face the horror of Almack's once a week for a month. But then, their butler Perkins found a piece parchment in the Malfoy's study. It was a contract that states that Draco had to marry Pansy, the eldest Parkinson daughter. This made Draco feel better, but Pansy was not the first woman that he would choose.

Pansy had long, black, straight hair. She was a beautiful woman, and at first sight, any man in his right mind would fall in love. But her voice was like nails scratching against a blackboard. High, screechy, and she almost (always) screams for the maids or butlers. She was very demanding, she wanted everything her way, but nothing can change her.

Draco just walked around the room, with his hands behind him, deep in thought. "Oh, beg you're pardon?"

"The wedding! We'll have it in the chapel, with white rose petals around the altar…" Pansy droned on excitedly, pointing her fingers at all directions, as if simulating where everything will be.

Her mother and father just nodded and sat on the two-seat couch, they were not listening, but knew not to interrupt her. Her sister, Marigold, who was only fourteen, sat next to Pansy, had rested her head on her arm, which she placed on the arm rest, she shook her head and rolled her eyes, then began to fidget in her seat.

Draco was about to pass the French doors that lead to the balcony, but he stopped. He heard some music, a guitar and a voice, singing. He began to open the doors and walked over to the balcony, and leaned in to see what was happening below.

What he saw were about five caravans, parked in a semi-circle on the edge of his family's mansion's huge garden. In the center of the semi-circle was a bonfire and a figure moving around it. Curious, he leaned against the balustrade and squinted to see who he or she was.

"Then doves will be flying outside the chapel…" Pansy abruptly stopped. "Draco? What are you looking at?"

The Parkinson's and Malfoy's all stood up and went to the balcony. The parents all stood near the French doors, while the Parkinson sisters stood on either side of Draco, both leaning at the balustrade and looking the same way as Draco.

"Oh, it's those Grangers." Pansy said, annoyed.

"The Grangers?" Draco asked.

"A group of gypsies. Not important…" Pansy said, trying to change the subject back to, well, her wedding.

"They travel all over England." Marigold continued. She was the exact image of Pansy. Except that she is less bossy, less egoistic, and her voice does not sound like a dying cat. "Those two caravans," she pointed to the first two caravans on the right. "Are the Weasley's. Funny bunch, huge family too. A Potter lives in that one too, since his parents and family died during the hurricane a few years ago.

"The other two," she pointed to the two caravans on the left. "Are the orphans that the Grangers have adopted. I remember that some of the orphans' families died in the hurricane. It was brutal, they told me all about it…" She shook her head. "And Miss Courage over here, she said she was fighting against the hurricane, while she actually was cowering in her room, and screaming blue murder every time there was thunder." Marigold whispered to Draco. He snorted and received a glare from Pansy.

"Then that one in the middle," Draco pointed. "Must be the Grangers, right?"

"Yes, their only child, Hermione, is really nice, she told me many stories." Marigold replied.

"How do you know all this?"

"They used to stay in our garden. But then they had to leave because of a certain someone." Marigold pointed to Pansy.

"Well, I had to get rid of those scum!" Pansy said, defensively. "You should too, dear." Draco shuddered at the mention of the word. "Should I do it for you?"

"No, I'll go myself." Draco said, and headed out the French doors. He walked out the living room, the guest room, the hallway, then the entrance doors. He walked down the marble staircase, which lead to the driveway. He sprinted to the back of the Malfoy mansion, and slowly walked to the caravans as he caught his breath.

He could hear voices from there, happy ones. Not like the ones that he had to put up all those years. He heard laughing, clapping, a tambourine, a guitar and a mandolin.

He looked back at the mansion. The Malfoy's already ushered the Parkinson's in and closed the French doors. Draco walked closer to the caravans and took a closer look.

The children were dancing around near the caravans. The girls were wearing dresses that had patches all over the bottom of the skirt and wore shawls around their heads like a bandana. The boys were wearing slacks that had patches all over them and a white blouse.

They were dancing with the Weasley and Granger parents, arm in arm, and laughing. Three men with flaming red hair about Draco's age (he reckoned that they were the eldest Weasleys) were watching the children dance, clapping to the beat and tapping their feet.

Two men his age were sitting on the foot of the caravans, one with jet black hair and round glasses, the other with red hair, were playing their guitars. Two other men, slightly older than him, were playing mandolins. They were twins, also with red hair. A woman, younger than him, was using a tambourine, shaking it with her right hand, and hitting it with her left.

The person that caught his eye was the woman dancing around the fire. Wearing the dress similar to the orphans, only less patches and the top was white and looked like a corset. Her brown hair was very curly which made it look bushy, and she tied it into a pony tail using a long piece of purple cloth. She didn't put on her shawl, instead she held it behind her back, arms outstretched, she looked like she was about to fly.

Just looking at her, skipping around the fire and using the shawl as if it were her wings, Draco felt like flying. His heart did. He never felt this before, his heart racing and this floating feeling. He wanted to join in. He wanted to feel happy, dance, and laugh like he never did before. All his live, the only laughter he heard was the soft chuckles in conversations that weren't even funny.

He walked closer, wanting to touch her, she looked as soft as the newly fallen snow on Christmas day, as sweet as the first bite of an apple in the beginning of spring. He wanted to feel her, but she felt so far away.

Draco found himself close enough to see her face, her eyes closed, smiling and happiness was written all over her. She kept going around the bonfire, skipping and spinning around, until she bumped into Draco. Everybody stopped.

The children were no longer laughing, the men and the red-haired girl were no longer playing their instruments. The parents quickly ushered the children in, blowing out the oil lamps outside the caravans. The people who were playing the instruments hurriedly turned off their oil lamps and went inside, closing the caravan door, closing the curtains and turning on the oil lamp inside the caravan.

But the woman who just bumped into Draco stood frozen. She looked into his eyes, their eyes locked and they started to move closer to each other. But then she finally snapped back to reality, out of her trance. She backed away and curtsied.

"I'm sorry, m'lord." She said quickly, before putting the shawl around her shoulders, grabbing the pail of water next to the bonfire and extinguishing the flames, and rushing into her caravan.

Draco couldn't move. Who was she? He asked himself. He sighed, blaming himself for not asking her name before she left, and reluctantly walked back up the mansion, and went to sleep, dreaming about the mysterious gypsy.

* * *

The next morning, after Draco had eaten his breakfast, he sat on the back porch, looking at the group of caravans. They have not budged, and Draco wishes that they don't go anywhere for a long time. 

He watched as the children run around, screaming in delight as the woman with brown hair chase them, while she wore a white sheet over her head. With arms to the front, slightly drooping to depict the ghostly aura, she followed the children, as they hid behind the caravans.

"Woo…." She said, as the children screamed. One boy, jumped on top of her, causing her to tumble down. She was laughing happily as she took off the sheet and the children laughed with her.

She was on her back, laughing, then turned to the right and saw Draco. She quickly got up and picked up the sheet, then turned to the children who gathered around her.

"You children go and play with Fred and George, alright?" She said, bending to see eye to eye with them.

"What, with those goofs?" One girl said with a sad voice, and then her face lit up and smiled revealing where her two front teeth used to be. "Let's go get 'em!" She ran to the caravan and the others followed suit.

The woman threw the sheet into a basket near the caravan on the right, put her hair in a ponytail and went back into the caravan.

"Wait, where are you going?" Draco said, as he got up from his bench and walked up to her.

"Inside, I thought you don't like people like me around you." She replied.

"No, I'm fine, please stay." He said, wanting her to stay with him longer.

"Hermione! It's you're turn to take the horses for a walk!" A motherly voice said.

"Coming, Mother!" Hermione shouted back, and then turned back to Draco. "I've got to go."

"No, it's okay, maybe I could help you out!" Draco said a little too quickly.

"Alright, I'll go get the horses." Hermione said, and went to the back of the caravans. She came back with two horses, one brown and the other black. "I'll go with Soleil," she said, pointing to the brown horse. She raised her right hand which had the reign for the black horse. "You can go with Nightmare."

They mounted their horses and started for the park. They didn't speak, they rode the horses side to side, and Draco kept stealing glances of Hermione, but whenever she turned to see Draco, he looked away.

Tired of the silence, Draco tried to start a conversation.

"So, you must be Hermione Granger, am I correct?" He said casually.

"Yes, m'lord." Hermione said, trying to avoid his eyes.

"Don't call me that, just call me Draco." He said as he stuck out his right arm.

"Nice to meet you, m'lord. I mean, D-Draco." She shook his arm with her right arm, and stuttered the last word.

"So, I heard you traveled all over England." Draco said.

"Yes, me and my family have been trying to find a place to settle, and we adopted some children on the way." She replied, finally looking up at him.

"Some? I think you have enough to create a circus of freaks!" He exclaimed.

"Just because the children are less fortunate than you, that does not mean it gives you the right to make fun of them." Hermione snapped.

"Well, I'm sorry."

"Serves you right! It's people like you who don't want to help the children just because your heads are too deep in your arse."

"Alright, I get it!" He sighed, wondering in awe at the woman who just snapped at him. No one has ever. They thought that he will sentence them to death if anyone did. That has happened to his father once, when he once executed a man for calling his mansion 'puny'. His father's genes have seeped through him, but he's not that cruel.

For the next few minutes, they rode around the park in silence, until Hermione apologized.

"Um, sorry for the sudden out burst." She said, slowly.

"That's alright, that was like a splash of water, on my face in huge amounts." He said and grinned.

Hermione giggled, and faced the road again.

Around them, the socialites that were having picnics stared at them. The women stared at Draco with dreamy eyes, and scowled at Hermione. The men, however, merely nodded at Draco, and unlike the women, found it hard to scowl at Hermione, so they all had smiles that looked like it was about to go bad.

"Can we go now? I don't like people staring at me." Hermione tugged at Draco's reign, signaling to the horse to go back home.

"Sure." He replied without a complaint. "Why did you want to leave?"

"Well, you know the caste system around here. The rich can not mingle with the poor."

"I see…" Draco didn't know that, he hadn't even heard of such a thing. Maybe that was why Pansy was so keen to get rid of her.

"Are you getting married tomorrow?" She tried to change the subject.

"If you're trying to change the subject, you're not very good at it." He said with a grin.

"Come on, I've seen that look on my friend Harry before!" She pleaded.

"Oh, alright." He said, pretending to sound reluctant. "Yes, I am. And who is this Harry?"

"My friend, the one with the dark hair and glasses. He's now married to Ginny Weasley, the one with the tambourine last night."

"I see…"

As they were about to pass the intersection, Hermione tilted her head a little to the right and had a curious look in her eyes.

"Why do you always say that?" She asked.

"Say what?"

"You always say, 'I see'."

"Well, wouldn't you always say that when you grow up with people, as you say, who have their heads too deep in their arse." He said, grinning again.

They both laughed, and stopped as they were about two blocks away from the mansion. Hermione leaned a little, and looked at Draco's emotionless face. When Draco realized that Hermione was staring at him, he almost jumped off the horse.

"What are you doing?" He said, in a (suspiciously) high-pitched tone of voice.

"Nothing." Hermione sprang back to her seat. "Why do you look so sad?"

"Because I'm getting married." He said.

"But aren't you supposed to be happy?"

"I can't, I don't love the woman I have to marry."

"Then why do you marry her?"

"It's because… Oy, why so many questions?" He said, realizing that she was asking him so much questions.

"Just curious…" She replied, absent-mindedly.

"Curiosity killed the cat." He quoted.

"That won't matter because I'm not a cat."

Draco chuckled at the quirky sense of humor she has. They were nearing the mansion, and they stopped at the driveway. Draco got off the black horse and helped Hermione off. Hermione took the horses by the reign and began to walk behind the mansion.

Draco started sweating, his heart beating faster. He wanted to dance with her, so he finally took up the courage and asked her.

"Wait, Hermione, are you going to have a party like last night?" He asked before she left.

"Yes, why do you ask?" She replied, confused.

"I wish to join you tonight." Draco said, trying to keep his confidence.

"Well, I'll look forward to seeing you tonight." Hermione said, and she left with the horses.

Draco collapsed on the front porch, taking a handkerchief and wiping off the sweat on his forehead. He then heard a person clapping behind him, a door opening and footsteps.

"Well done mate, well done." The person said.

* * *

(**A/N:** Aha! Cliffy! I'm so evil, mwahahahaha… Review please, I'll try to update as soon as I can!) 


	2. Part II

**Flowers in The Garden**

**PART II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or its characters. I don't even HAVE flowers in my garden (dead, 'cause my house is getting renovated).

(**A/N:** Gomenasai! Sorry I didn't update for so long… I blame homework and writer's block!)

* * *

"_Well done mate, well done." The person said._

Draco slowly turned his head and found none other than his best friend Blaise Zabini.

"Awh, it's my favorite _dolore nell'asino_. How was your trip?" Draco replied.

Blaise Zabini, or formally Captain Zabini was the son of a rich Italian merchant who fell in love with his African slave. His family came to England when he was born, in hope to find good fortune, escape from war and a clean start.

Blaise sat next to Draco, taking off his hat that covered his thick, black hair and putting it down.

"It was fine until that banshee of yours sent me a letter while I was on business." Blaise grumbled. "Why did she have to write like a plebeian? She wrote like an old, drunken, blind man. And she told me about that supposed engagement."

"So what are you here for?"

"To ask you," Blaise turned to him, grabbed Draco's shoulders and shook him back and forth as hard as he could. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't, I was a month old when my parents agreed to the marriage. I was engaged to Parkinson even before I could have met her."

Blaise had a sympathetic look on his face before he said: "As a good, true and logical friend, I think you should run."

"What?"

"But then again," now he had a confused look on his face: "Who was that woman?"

"Oh, Hermione Granger." Draco said with a dreamy look.

"Then run with her."

"What?"

"Run away with her. I highly recommend it. But it will be too risky seeing that we are dealing with the she-devil." Blaise said. "But still, live a little! You act like you are seventy when you're only seventeen!"

"Blaise," Draco said in an exasperated sigh. "I don't intend to run. I have to face it like a man and I have to do my duty. The Parkinsons are very rich and have many connections."

"Well so do you!"

"Think about it, two pounds are better than one." Draco said.

"Isn't that heads?"

"With Parkinson it wouldn't make any difference."

The two friends laughed and entered the mansion to catch up on things.

* * *

It was the nineteenth hour of the day, the Parkinsons and Malfoys once again gathered in the Malfoy Mansion. The women were taking turns to play instruments and sing, as the men had their cigars, playing cards and talking about business. 

As Draco put down his cards, admitting defeat in the game he played with his father and future father-in-law, he glanced at the clock. He couldn't wait until he could go downstairs and actually have fun.

Half an hour had past, Draco left the card table after one last game and left the room. He had told the guests and his parents that he wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest in his room. He walked over to his room, and he needed to find a way to go downstairs to meet Hermione, and be back by midnight without getting caught by his parents, or worse, Pansy.

As he closed the double-door, he leaned on the door and looked around the room. Everything in the room was practically gold or yellow. The floor he stood on was marble that looked like it was slightly yellow from the candlelight, the king-sized bed had gold blankets, a pale yellow comforter and white sheets. He looked around his wardrobe. In a drawer there were extra sheets. He had an idea.

He ripped the sheets in half and tied them end to end, opened the French doors leading to the balcony and slowly lowered the sheets down. The balcony faced the garden and he could see Hermione and her friends crowd around the sheet dangling from the balcony. They all had curious and confused looks, but when Draco leaned in and waved, they all smiled and Hermione even waved back.

Draco used to go with Zabini on business trips by ship, and he was used to going down the rope ladder to the small boat that would take him to land. But he was definitely not used to going down the white sheets from a second floor balcony. He nearly slipped and fell, due to the fact that the sheets were smoother than the rope he was used to hold on to.

At last he reached the bottom, where Hermione and the orphaned children cheered.

* * *

They danced for hours around the camp fire, laughing, talking. Draco got a chance to warm up to the Grangers and the Weasleys, who treated him as if he were one of them. 

He mostly danced with Hermione, with no objections from the Weasleys, Grangers or Potter, which Hermione told him was a rare thing, as they all were very protective of her, and that way they must really trust Draco.

He heard the grandfather clock in the mansion softly chime twelve times. He saw that the others were all retiring back to their rooms, or in this case, caravans. It seemed like the best opportunity to be alone with Hermione. One last chance.

As everyone entered the caravans, Hermione was extinguishing the camp fire and started to go to her caravan herself, but Draco caught her by her arm.

"Wait, I want to show you something." Draco said.

"But I have to go, they might worry…" She said hurriedly, but was soon cut off by Draco, as he put two fingers to her lips.

"Shh, don't worry, it will take only half an hour." Draco said reassuringly.

She paused for a moment, looking towards the caravan. But as she looked in his eyes, she seemed to be lost in his eyes, then she slowly nodded and became herself again.

Draco ran holding her hand, as Hermione was dragged along, trying to keep up. As they ran, Draco still hasn't figured out where they were going. Was he taking them to the cherry blossom forest? No, it was spring, they would've died by now. The lake? No, it would take hours, they would come home the next day, and he had a wedding to go to the next day…

Draco suddenly stopped. _The wedding…_

But as Draco fell into a trance, looking straight and thinking about the wedding, Hermione, who was next to him the whole time, gasped and clasped her mouth with one hand.

"Oh my goodness, Draco…" She said, breathlessly. "It's beautiful…"

"Wh-what?" Draco said as he realized where he was. "Oh, of course it's beautiful!" He quickly said in a proud voice.

It was a garden, with many rose bushes, with roses in all kinds of colors. Behind the rose bushes were apple trees, circling the whole garden, behind the trees was a steel fence with vines entwined around them. Right in the middle of the whole garden, was a man-made pond with lily pads floating at the surface, and when Draco saw the full moon reflected in the pond, he thought that God was on his side, to make the perfect scene for the perfect girl that he had found.

"Come on," Draco said, pulling her hand once again and leading her to the pond. He took off his shoes and rolled up his pants. Hermione, seeing this, got wide-eyed.

"What? You want us to go bloody skinny dipping?" Hermione shrieked. "It's in the bloody middle of the night!"

"What?" Draco said, confused. "Why do you think that we would…? Oh. OOOOOH..." Draco continued with a mischievous grin. "You know, the only reason you would imply me trying to skinny dip is because you want to…"

"Why do you think that I would think of something so… so…" Hermione searched for the right word. "UGH!" She cried out in frustration and stomped her foot on the ground.

Draco just laughed, leaned on a tree and tried to not fall.

Hermione turned redder than the reddest rose that she could find in the whole garden. Humiliated, she had to think of some way to retaliate. She cupped her hands together, scooped up some water and splashed it all over Draco.

That did it.

Draco stopped. Completely shocked as his moment of victory was broken by a splash of water in his face. He blinked several times, trying to clear his vision, to which he found Hermione laughing in front of him, her hair, which was put up in a bun, became messy, with strands of hair falling. She clutched her stomach and her words were cut off by laughter every time she tried to speak.

"You should see your face…" Hermione said, then saw Draco's face. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no…" Draco approached her with a mischievous grin.

"Oh, you saw this coming." Draco said, with his hands behind his back. "Two can play at that game."

"What game?" Hermione said, with a faint laugh, afraid of what would happen next. "I see no game…"

"You know what I'm talking about…" Draco took another step, as Hermione stepped back.

"I have to warn you… I know origami!"

"Japanese paper folding?"

"Oh bugger."

With that, Hermione fell backwards into the pond.

"God, this is freezing!" Hermione cried.

"Well what do you expect? Combine midnight, wind and water, do you expect to feel fuzzy and warm in this blasted weather?"

Hermione gave him a glare.

"Alright, alright." Draco said, raising his hands in defeat. "Come on, I'll help you out."

He leaned towards the pond, bending his knees and stretching out a hand for Hermione to grab so she can get out of the pond. Unfortunately, she had other plans.

"Really?" She said, innocently. "No thanks, how about," she said, grabbing his hand. "I help you!" She pulled his hand, and he came falling into the pond.

He sunk for a good few seconds, before his head emerged from the water. He caught his breath, then he laughed.

"I can't believe you! How can you do that to me? That was not fair." Draco said, accusingly.

"Me? You started it!" Hermione replied.

"You were the one who implied that we go skinny dipping! But you know what, you got your wish."

"I did not…" Hermione said, then she paused. "Anyway, we're not even skinny dipping! We still have our clothes on!"

"What, do you want me to take them off?" Draco said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh bugger off." She said, before going for Draco and pushing his head down, trying to drown him, before she swam to the other side of the pond.

When Draco's head emerged from the water again, he shouted at Hermione.

"What in God's name are you trying to do? Kill me?"

"Why? Me? Why would I do such a thing?" Hermione said innocently from the other end.

"Dear little Hermione, so young, so childish." Draco said in a fatherly manner. "Get your act together, or do you want a spanking?"

"What, no!" Hermione said and she swam away again as she saw Draco swimming towards her.

* * *

After their little 'game' they decided to sit at the edge of the pond, but their feet still dipped in the cold water. Hermione rested on Draco, as Draco hugged her who was shivering. 

Draco then decided to take off his coat and put it around Hermione. Not the brightest idea, but he thought it should do.

"Draco, you do realize that the coat is making me even colder?" Hermione said.

"Well, this is revenge for pulling me into the pond." Draco replied.

"But… Never mind." Hermione said, as she realized if she argued they would have another dip in the pond again.

For the next few minutes, they sat there in silence, their minds blank. They just stared at the view of the garden, not knowing what to say to each other.

Sick of the silence, Hermione sat up and tried to strike up a conversation.

"So," she said. "Who's the lucky woman who will have your hand in marriage?"

"Pansy Parkinson." He said quickly.

"Oh." Was all she said.

"But that woman is a witch!" Hermione continued. "How could you marry her?"

"My parents had already decided that when I couldn't even walk. My God, why does everyone have to ask me that?" Draco said, annoyed.

"Sorry…" Hermione said, faintly.

"It's okay." Draco said. "Anyway, I have to marry her for the fact that she knows a friend of a friend of a friend's sister of a friend that knows the queen."

"The queen of England?" Hermione asked, curious.

"No, the 'queen' is Millicent Bulstrode-Nott's nickname." Draco replied. "Wife of the head of trading."

"I see…"

"Now you're turning into me. Draco said.

"What?"

"Remember? 'I see…'"

"Oh bugger." Hermione said. "What next, my hair will turn blond?"

They both laughed, then they stayed silent again.

"Is this the last time I'll see you again?" Hermione asked.

"Might be. But don't you travel around England? We might bump into each other some time." Draco replied.

"We might bump each other for a very short time. You are getting married to the most stubborn woman in England, remember? The second I step on the ground within a 500 yard radius she'll set off trying to get rid of me."

"That's true…"

Hermione made a point, Draco won't see her again, ever. Not even a slight glance. Thoughts rushed in his mind, flashbacks of last night, that morning…

"_Then run with her."_

"Genius, Blaise." Draco muttered. He held her hands and motioned her to get up as he stood up himself.

"Hermione, this might sound weird, but I have this growing attraction to you…"

"What?"

"This might even sound even more weird, but I want both of us to run away. Together."

"What?" She said, more of an exclamation rather than a question.

"Well I don't want to be stuck with the woman I do not adore for the rest of my life, I want to be with you!" Draco explained.

"But… But…" Hermione stuttered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Come on, it'll be great!" Draco said. "I have a very powerful last name, whenever I say it to anyone else, they will let us board their ship or train! We could travel all around, not just Europe, but the whole world!"

"But you have your duty!" Hermione said, making him go silent.

"Duty? Don't you think I should be out there? I'm still young, I could be going to India right now!"

"But your parents have already chosen your fate."

"Who gives a bloody damn about my parents?" Draco said. "They don't care about my well-being, they just want more money, that's why I have to go through this bigoted marriage tomorrow."

"But you have to, it's your family…"

"I don't, I'd rather run away with you..."

"Look," Hermione tried to make sure he won't run away. For his sake, at least. "They way I was brought up, family is everything, they do care about your well-being…"

"They do a great job not showing it…"

"Just don't run away!"

"And what are you, my mother?"

"It's just…" She tried to find the right words.

"What? There's nothing!" Draco said. "There's nothing blocking my way to be with you, except the marriage of course. Now we can be together if we just run away…"

"Draco!" Hermione said, slapping him from his rambling trance.

Draco touched his cheek where she slapped him, still in shock.

"I love you, really, I do." Hermione said. "But this is the best for you. You have to go through the marriage. You will go through it."

"But, what good will it do for you?"

"I'm not doing this for me! This is for you!" Hermione said, as the tears started to fall. "If I become selfish and run away with you, then you'd get in trouble, the whole village will track you down. And when they find you, you will be forced to marry her anyway!"

"But…"

"There's no other way. It all comes to this. The easy way or the hard way."

"I prefer the hard way…"

"Will you just shut up?" Hermione shrieked.

That did it, he quickly stopped talking.

"Either way, you will marry her. Unless you actually tell your parents that you don't want to, and yes they will understand you." Hermione added. "Just don't tell your father, your mother will understand, her being a matchmaker in her day. Don't ask, my mother knew her. Long story."

"The point is," she continued. "I love you, and I don't want you to get in trouble, I'm sorry." She ran towards the caravan, leaving Draco to just stand there, speechless.

"Good bye, forever."

* * *

(**A/N:** Gah, this took so long to make, writer's block. Meh.) 


	3. Part III

**Flowers in The Garden**  
**By Tasha  
Rating: **PG-13/T  
**Genre:** Romance/Drama  
**Pairing:** DracoHermione  
**Summary: **She was the queen of gypsys, he was the young lord about to marry. Can  
their love survive against all the rules? DracoHermione AU Set in 1810 England.  
**Status:** WIP. ThreeShot  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**A/N:** This is the last installment. Enjoy.

"This is it, son." Lucius said to his son, who was putting on his groom's clothes.

Draco just nodded, and looked forlornly at his reflection in the mirror.

Lucius saw his son's face, and knew something was wrong. As the servant was finished with helping Draco put on his clothes, Lucius tried to confront him.

"What's wrong. Draco?" He asked.

"Nothing." Draco replied, not looking at his father.

Lucius paused, then spoke again. "Son, I've known you for exactly sixteen years, eight moons, two days and ten hours."

"And what might your point be? We don't see each other much." Draco asked.

"Yes, that is true." He replied. "But I know how you behave and when you are not alright." He looked down, then looked at his son's reflection in the mirror. "I repeat, what's wrong?"

Draco slowly turned around and walked over to sit down next to his father. He sighed, and looked at his father. "I don't want to get married."

"Why not?" Lucius asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm in love."

"So you think that it's strange to be in love with your fiancée?" Lucius' eyebrow was raised higher.

"No," Draco said, "I'm not in love with Pansy."

"Then who is this lucky lady you fancy?"

"Hermione Granger." Draco took a big breath, expecting his father to shout at him.

"That gypsy girl?" Lucius said, confused, then chuckled. "Well, if you truly love her, then why didn't you say so?"

Draco loosened up. "What?"

"If you said that before, I would've cancelled the wedding." Lucius said as if it were an everyday thing.

"Are you serious? I thought that it was my duty…" He began, but was cut-off.

"It wasn't your duty. We just thought it was the best for you. With her connections, you might do well in your job, but seeing as you are a Malfoy," Lucius said proudly. "Without her connections, you would still earn ten thousand a month, in the least."

"You're not upset that I want to marry Hermione instead of Pansy?" Draco said, incredulously.

"I'm not." Lucius said, looking out the window, then puffed out his chest. "We're the richest family in all of England, other than the royal family, of course."

"What about mother?"

"She's fine." Lucius said calmly. "What matters is what you feel. Now, it's your choice. Marry Pansy and become so rich that England would become bankrupt and be deaf for the rest of your life, or be happy, and not marry her at all."

"Thank you, father." Draco said, with a small smile, and left the room.

-

Draco stood there in front of the altar. His best man, Blaise, right beside him, and the priest, who tried to not lose his patience, standing right in front of him.

He looked at his pocket watch, the bride was half an hour late.

"She'll be here in a moment." Draco said to the priest, who nodded.

"What is she? Fashionably late? Fashionably late is five minutes! Not a life time!" Blaise whispered.

Draco just rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I thought you talked to your father? He said it was okay if you didn't want to…"

"I did, and he was alright with that. The thing I'm worried about is Pansy…" Draco said.

"Ah, yes. The banshee of Parkinson Manor."

"Oh shut up." Draco said, trying not to laugh.

"Well, it is true. Do you see how she complains?" Blaise put on his Pansy impression and said in a shrill voice. "_Drakie, why didn't you put that coat on?_"

"That was nothing, when she stayed in the Malfoy Manor, she was wearing curlers and a robe, wandering around the halls, trying to find my room."

"For what?" Blaise said, confused.

Draco coughed.

"That's disgusting."

"Obviously."

"So she's a banshee and a…" Blaise began, but he was cut off as the wedding march was played on the organ.

Everyone in the chapel stood up and faced the chapel's opened doors. There stood Pansy, in a white wedding gown, smiling, with her hand entwined with her father's. As she walked down the aisle, she smiled at her friends and family, smirked at those who were giving her jealous looks.

As she reached the altar, her father gave her one last look, a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and sat down.

The organ player ended the wedding march, and the priest clapped his hands together.

"Dearly beloved," he began. "We gather here today to witness to bare witness the joining of Lord Draco Luicus Malfoy and Lady Pansy Elizabeth Parkinson."

Draco looked behind him; his parents were smiling, but they didn't look as if they were happy. He looked at the doorway, there he saw, gypsies, picking flowers from the garden outside the chapel.

"Today these two people will leave the chapel as one, devoted, happily-married couple. But before they leave, I must ask: Does anyone here have a reason why these two should not wed? If not, speak now and forever hold your peace." The priest said, and paused.

Everyone stayed silent, but Draco struggled with something in his heart. Thoughts came rushing in his head, he heard voices, his father, telling him to do what he wants, and Hermione, who says that she really does love him. But what should he do? His palms started to sweat, and he knew what he was about to do.

"I-I do." He stuttered.

The whole chapel was filled with the buzz. Why would the groom stop his own wedding? And to make it more unbelievable, to a beautiful woman that no man in his right mind could resist? Everyone whispered, telling their neighbors about rumors and whatever they've heard about him.

Pansy leaned in to Draco and whispered hurriedly. "This is just nerves right? You, blurting that out? I don't know if you know how a wedding works, and that wasn't the time to say 'I do'."

Draco finally got a hold of himself, and the priest asked calmly. "What is your reason to stop this marriage to go any further?"

Draco smiled, he turned behind, his parents nodded knowingly, he turned to his right, Blaise gave him the thumbs up.

"I'm in love."

Pansy laughed worriedly. "It's just his nerves, he's so in love that he forgot where he was…"

"No, really. I'm in love." Draco repeated. He turned around and rushed through the aisle and ran through the doorway.

He grabbed his horse and rushed out the block, heading for his mansion, rushing past passer-bys. He had to go quickly, Hermione and the other gypsies were about to leave that day.

As he arrived, he saw them packing. The twins lead the horses to the caravans, the children were ushered in by a red-haired woman, and a man with jet-black hair were taking the pots and pans and putting them in the caravan.

But the one that caught his eye, the one he was trying to find all along, was a certain brown haired woman wearing a bandana, taking sheets that were drying on a line.

Draco sighed, tried to catch his breath, straightened his suit and cleared his throat. Hermione looked his way, bewildered, but smiled none the less. She ran into his arms and embraced.

And that was it.

_**Fin.**_

**A/N:** Oh the fluff… Sorry it took me so long to update.


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